January 2019

Newsletter for Moreton Hall

January is a time of new beginnings when many of us decide that we are going to try to make a better use of our lives this year. However, one of the things that cause us to pause is the brown envelope or unexpected email. They tell us that we have spent too much on Christmas than we should have done. Then we begin to realise that doing that exercise programme or keeping that promise is going to be a lot harder than we thought it was.

It is at times such as this we need the inspiration of those who have gone before us. Anybody who achieved anything went through difficulty and disappointment and you can choose heroes from the sporting world, the artistic world, the political world, or the business world, they came through it all.

As a nation we face a huge challenge this year as the realities of Brexit begin to dawn. At the time of writing I do not know if Theresa May’s government will survive very far into 2019 or indeed what the fate of the nation may be. However, I believe that she has done her best in an incredibly difficult situation without the full support of her party which she should have been able to rely on. Therefore, I want to commend her and our nation in prayer at this time. Perhaps the way forward is not so much to think about ourselves and what we are seeking to achieve but to think about our nation, our families, and our communities and find a way of working together in harmony.

Now is the time to end the bitterness and recriminations. Maybe the best New Year’s resolution for us all is to try to find a way to live together as we should and serve the common good. If we can persevere with that, rather than any personal ambition, I am sure the nation will be a better place and we will be better people.

Like Theresa May, I have found my Christian faith a great source of strength in times of trial. This verse has helped me a great deal in recent months. It is our motto text for church this year. It is from Isaiah and says:

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the LORD forever….for the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal. Isaiah 26 v 3-4

I hope you find it a great help as you face this New Year which is full of both great uncertainty and great opportunities. Try to remember that in all this change, Jesus Christ never changes and His promises are never broken.